When did US civil war soldier’s widow die? The answer will astound you

When did the last surviving widow of someone who fought in the US Civil War die? Remember that this conflict finished in 1865 with Abraham Lincoln victorious over the Southern US States.

The answer didn’t surprise me, it astounded me, and it perfectly illustrates one of the problems facing today’s pension schemes…..longevity.

The answer – Maudie Hopkins, the widow of late Confederate civil war veteran William M Cantrell, died on 17th August 2008!

Cantrell had enlisted in the Confederate State Army at age 16 and served in the Virginia Infantry. At the age of 86, he married Maudie, then only 19 years of age.

He died 3 years later in 1937 and she continued to enjoy a long life until her death just 9 years ago, some 152 years after the US Civil War had ended.

Clearly this is an extreme example but it does serve as a useful parallel with one of the increasing problems facing the sustainability of both our private pensions and the state funded pension, and that is longevity of life.

This is illustrated in the following table which shows us that in just over 40 years’ time, both men and woman who have reached age 65 will be living 4 years longer. The case for funding our pensions has never been so important.

Find out how long you need to make your pension last using this interactive tool from the Office of National Statistics

This information reflects the regulatory and taxation situation as it affects pensions at the time of publication in April 2017 and is provided to the best of our knowledge. It is not a complete representation of the pensions legislator landscape and is for guidance and information purposes only. We cannot be held responsible for any errors, omissions or subsequent legislative changes.